Yesterday I had the opportunity to talk with the team and see a demo over at Striiv, a new Silicon Valley Start-Up that developed a portable fitness device for the “rest of us”.
What does “rest of us” mean?
There are already great devices for runners but how about the “rest of us” that count running in and out of the grocery store or up and down the steps to their office as their only exercise? Striiv is a device small enough to hang on your keychain but is filled with big features that everyone can use to fit in more exercise into their daily routine.
The device follows your movement (including steps, cadence and more) assigning points to track personal goals, unlock rewards, progess steps in a gaming environment and best yet contribute to charity in what is considered a “walk-a-thon” in your pocket. Future features inlcude big plans for social.
The age range is from kids to adults, so the whole family can use the device. I will be testing a Striiv device very soon and can’t wait to share more details. For now, here is the press release for today’s announcement.
Striiv offers a playful approach to fitness. Comprised of social game and technology industry veterans, the team behind Striiv brings a wealth of business and development experience to defining this new product category at the forefront of gaming and personal health. Whether it’s a real workout or simple daily interactions like walking to lunch, taking the stairs, or shopping – with Striiv any activity is earned, tracked and transformed into an opportunity to get fit, give back, and have fun.
“Fitness and health are top-of-mind today. But for many people, especially moms juggling careers and family, finding time for exercise is hard to fit in to a busy day,” says David Wang, CEO and co-founder of Striiv. “We’ve combined charities, gaming, and personal challenges with cutting-edge technology to create a seamless way to motivate physical activity. We’re building a playful and inspiring ‘movement around movement’ so that fitness now fits throughout your day. ”
Small, convenient and designed to easily move between a key chain, belt clip, or pocket, Striiv is always with you and always on. Striiv features a high-resolution color touch screen to track your progress. Key features include:
• Walkathon in Your Pocket: With Striiv every step counts toward a donation to charity. At launch, Striiv is partnering with GlobalGiving to donate clean water to children in South America or a polio vaccine to a child in India. New charitable partners will be added over time.
• Activity-Based Games: Unlike traditional time-based social games, Striiv games are completely powered by physical activity. In the first game, MyLand, the more you move, the more your enchanted island fills with exotic wildlife and plants. More games will be added.
• Daily Challenges and Trophies: Earn rewards and bonuses for walking to lunch or taking the stairs. Unlock daily challenges based on real-world distances, from climbing the Eiffel Tower to crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.
• TruMotion Technology: Striiv’s proprietary TruMotion technology is always on and can sense if you are walking, running, and even climbing stairs or hiking.
Striiv is designed to be used directly out of the box, no set up required. Tutorials are built into the device. Additionally, Striiv can be connected to an online portal via a computer USB port to upgrade new applications, charities, and games, or post updates to Facebook.
Beth Blecherman started her career in application development then Senior Manager, Computer Process Integrity, for Deloitte. After senior management she took on family management blogging as her career 2.0. She is a Co-Founder of the Silicon Valley Moms Group, a collaborative of mom blogs across the country, and their first international blog Canada Moms Blog.
Blecherman founded her personal blog, TechMamas.com, as a platform to discuss technology and gadgets for families. Beth vlogs with other female tech bloggers at Gadgetspin.com. She also consults with companies on blogger outreach and social media strategies and speaks at conferences on parenting, social media and technology. TechMamas.com was chosen as one of the Nielson Power Mom 50 influencers. On Twitter as @TechMama she was chosen as one of the 25 Influential Moms to Follow on Twitter and BizTechDay’s 25 Influential Business Women in the Bay Area. Beth is on the Board of Advisors for MommyTech at CES.